The Retriever, Dog, & Wildlife Blog

Does your dog “circle wag”?

What about “Circle Wag?” I made that term up, so don’t go looking for it anywhere. But in the best tradition of ethology, “Circle Wag” is descriptive, because the tail literally goes around in a circle. Here’s my belief about it’s ‘meaning’ (and that’s all it is, a belief). Circle wags appear to be done by dogs who are extremely happy. I see it on dogs who just adore adore adore a particular person, and I’ve seen on Luke and Will when we finished up a great session of herding and we both were equally proud of ourselves. I can not remember ever seeing it on a dog who appeared to be anxious or potentially aggressive, either defensive or offensively. Many dogs never circle wag, and I have no idea how many dogs actually do it. Ten percent? Twenty?

My dog does not.

However, I did have one who did.

She is actually doing it here.

When she would greet a person she knew, she would run up with her ears back. Her face would be all relaxed and friendly looking, and then she would start wagging her tail in great big circles. She would occasionally let loose a few yodels of joy.

Now that you mention it, I’ve only ever seen a single docked Dane. That was the first one I’d ever met up close, though, and since then, I have it in my head that Danes are docked. Lovely boy. He liked to duck his head and walk in between my legs.

Indeed, Independent George, the most dangerous thing about Great Danes is their wagging tails! I think wag types are breed related as well as mood motivated–some dogs are circle waggers, some are not, irregardless of mood. Some seem to be butt wigglers, too, moreso than others, and is it just my imagination that dogs with docked tails tend to be butt wigglers more than full-tailed dogs? Or is it just that the visual perspective is skewed? Also, I used to have a lively Sheltie cross many years ago–she would spin around in circles wildly when she was happy and excited, and since then, every Sheltie I’ve ever seen does exactly the same thing! Very distinctive–so that’s one reason I think greeting variations can be genetic as well as mood oriented……Hey, maybe we can trace dog breed development NOT through DNA tests and genetics, but by butt wagging studies of all the breeds(and wolves)!!!

I’ve gotten a lot better at reading dogs, but it’s still mostly instinct for me – I really can’t explain what it is that I actually see. Occasionally I’ll be able to point out something obvious, but usually it’s just something about the way they move.

My own dog is moderately leash reactive, and I’ve gotten to the point where I can sense her nerves without even looking down, but I still can’t explain why. My brain is piecing together the information correctly, but it’s at an entirely subconscious level.

Dogs touch you lightly with the nose; they stare at you or give you one rapid look. They stop and show you something by the direction by their eyes; or their smell the air for you to know; their pull their lips backwards towards their ears when the eyes of you two shall meet, and so on.
Dogs are quite minimalistic in their communication. They don’t shout or tell long histories. (I’m not sure if barking is really communication, it seems to be a more like collective singing-competition or egoistic domination behaviour).
You know it is sometimes hard to hear them, tho’ their langueage is very clear.

Bridget – it’s not insane at all. The tail is just one of the pieces of the puzzle of reading a dog.

Charlie, my Pit Bull/Shiba Inu, and Oliver, my hound mix both circle wag. Lucy is an Aussie, so her tail is docked right down to her butt; Trouper is a Border Collie and his tail is so furry, it’s hard to tell. Buster – a Parson Russell – is partially docked, but his tail is always rigid and at attention (darned terrier).

Yup – a circle wag is a very happy wag; a good one in any trainer’s book, and great to see when dogs are playing, or greeting you or other people. I especially love it when two dogs are meeting for the first time. It’s a rarity, but it helps me to determine if they’ll be fast friends or not.

Mina does that when she is incredibly excited – I call it the helicopter tail. Celeste did it a lot when she was younger. I thought it was more because she couldn’t figure out her body’s locomotion. :)

Dogs use every part of their body for communicating. Tails, eyes, mouths, lips, ears, paws, ect. I’ve had dogs since I was born, reading dogs is second nature to me (I’m not claiming to be some Dog Whisperer). It’s easy to me, though, things I find basic go unnoticed by my friends. It takes years to regcongize certain things in a dog. Though, once it becomes second nature to you, you don’t specifically look for things to “read” a dog, it just all comes together and bam!, you know how to act around said dog. It’s everything they do, the way they move that tells you what they’re thinking/feeling. A dog with raised hackles and attentive ears and eyes is alert, ready to defend, and depending on the dog, aggresive. A dog with alert eyes and ears, without the hackles, is simply observant and looking around. Something so simple as hair on the back of their neck can totally change everything a dog is saying.

My puppy Penny (7 month-old mixed breed) just did it to my new charge Sadie (6 year-old Dalmatian mix) and then went belly-up to her. Penny seemed happy and Sadie responded to it favorably. I have never seen it from any of my other dogs.

LOVE love love that video – thanks for sharing!
My 4 yr old lab/hound mix wags in a circle sometimes – I think it means he’s pretty happy. Generally, he’s a happy boy!
But he’s the first dog I’ve ever had who wagged in a circle!